14 Finding The Lost
by Daintress
Summary: At last it all ties together: the loves, losses, and reunions brought about by the final battle are not at all what you'd expect. It's not over till the ladies all sing, my friends. AU since HBP.
1. Intro

FINDING THE LOST by Daintress

PART ONE

Introduction

March 2011

Severus was waiting when the other members of the Order appeared out of the fireplace in Albus Dumbledore's office. He and Hermione Weasley, who was only beginning to show evidence of the baby she carried, handed each of them a flask. In response they got mumbled thanks and wide eyes. When Ron appeared, he was upset to find his wife handing him a potion he had never heard about, but took it and stood silently beside her as she gave out the rest.

"This potion has not yet been released to the public for reasons which will soon be obvious," Professor Dumbledore began as several people drew themselves chairs. He paused as the chairs thudded heavily to the floor. "Severus and Hermione have found a way to counteract the Killing Curse. It will be effective for only a 2 hour span of time, so do not drink it until you leave the castle. We expect the attack in only half an hour's time. Our N.E.W.T. level students have already been given their flasks and are awaiting us downstairs." The Headmaster fell silent, and Severus stepped forward from his place by the fire.

"It won't block the curse entirely. In our tests, people have been knocked out by the curse for anywhere between a few minutes up to 16 days, in one case. It will depend on the strength of the caster, as well as the person hit."

"And just who was this potion tested on?" Ron demanded, after a quick look at Hermione's pale face. To everyone's surprise, Fred and George Weasley raised their hands sheepishly. But after a moment everyone realized that they've been testing things on themselves for years. Small wonder that the Headmaster had asked them to help with this. Ron fell silent.


	2. Chapter 1 Part 1 Overdue Introduction

**PART ONE CONTINUED**

**Chapter 1 - Overdue Introduction**

"Mother, where are we going?" Janus asked for the fifth time that morning. At the age of seven, he already knew how to apparate, and they had just arrived in Hogsmeade. She knew she would have to tell him, since the castle was already in sight. She pointed.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she replied guardedly.

"Is that where Uncle Macnair went to school?" Janus was somber. Only a few short weeks ago, he would have been happy to visit the school that his Godfather had always spoken of so fondly. Today, however, it was difficult to speak his name. His mother only nodded.

They sat down in the Three Broomsticks and ordered breakfast. "Tell me again about how you met him," Janus said, as they ate. His mother had been unusually quiet for the last few days. He knew that it was because of the attack on Beauxbaton, and his Godfather's death. He suspected that it also had a great deal to do with _her_ uncle's death as well, though she hadn't spoken of him at all.

"I was eleven years old when I first saw Macnair. He and another boy from Hogwarts were taking the mark, and I was standing behind Uncle Tom, covered in an invisibility cloak." She told him the story for the hundredth time, and Janus barely listened. He had heard all this before. Today, however, he wanted to ask questions. His Godfather had given him an important piece of information before he'd left the school to join the battle, and he intended to use it.

"He screamed and fell to the ground when my uncle burned the mark into him. His father demanded that he stand up, but he couldn't, so I helped him. I think Uncle Tom knew what I'd done. I always suspected he could see right through that invisibility cloak."

"Did you have to help the other boy, too?" Janus asked, trying to seem disinterested. His mother looked at him shrewdly for a moment, but answered him nevertheless.

"No. He cried out when the mark began to burn, but clamed up and managed to stay upright. He was a brave boy." She beckoned to the barmaid and ordered another drink. Janus thought firewhiskey was a bit strong for breakfast, but didn't comment.

"And you didn't ever talk to Uncle Macnair until you came to teach at Beauxbaton?"

"That's right. He was our operative there, and I was sent to keep an eye on him. Uncle Tom was always afraid that there was a spy among his Death Eaters."

"But Uncle Macnair WAS a spy," Janus said immediately. He would never have said it aloud before, but it didn't matter now. His Godfather had died for warning them about the attack on Beauxbaton. Even if there were any Death Eaters left, they couldn't hurt him, now.

His mother didn't answer, choosing instead to pay their tab and pick up the few things she had brought along. Janus stood and gathered his things as well. They began the walk up to the castle.

"Are you sad that Uncle Tom is dead?" he asked finally. He expected his mother to say no. She had always told him that the man was evil. She'd screened every letter they sent back and forth, worried that her uncle would taint her son's beliefs and make him into a Death Eater in spite of her efforts.

"Yes," she whispered. She put her suitcase down on the grass and turned to look at him. "He was a horrible man, and he hurt a lot of people. Everything about his life and death makes me sad."

Janus threw his arms around his mother and held her as hard as he could. He couldn't remember any time in his short life when she'd been so emotional, and he couldn't suppress the urge to comfort her. She was surprised at this show of affection. Her son was reaching the age where hugging his mother was patently uncool, and she couldn't help but smile. They walked the rest of the way in silence, only to find that the castle doors were sealed.

A rather large group of people was milling around outside the main entrance. "Charmed to keep us out," someone explained gruffly as she made her way toward the door.

"Only professors and healers, no well-wishers," another woman huffed. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Well-wishers? Try groupies!

When she finally pushed her way to the door, she took her son's hand and announced herself quietly. The crowd fell silent as the door opened. Several people tried to slip in, but only they were admitted.

It was exactly as she remembered. Apparently the fight here had not made it inside the castle. She was glad. She led Janus toward the Hospital wing. It was obvious that it had been magically enlarged. Unlike at Beauxbaton, most of the patients were asleep, and didn't appear to be in any pain.

The only exception was a woman about her own age, who appeared to have been hit with far too many curses for her own good. She paused a moment to watch. A man with graying hair, who otherwise appeared quite young, was getting in the way of two very flustered healers who were trying to help their patient. "Remus, for Merlin's sake, she'll be FINE if you'll just SIT DOWN OVER THERE!" She watched the chubby healer point to a chair on the other side of the room. The man, Remus, was obviously not going to leave that woman's side. A taller man with a long, black ponytail appeared quickly and steered Remus away.

"They were trying to take her alive, mate. She held them off really well."

Janus looked up at his mother with a small smile. "Things went well here," she said quietly. "It looks like most of these people are going to be all right."

She spotted Dumbledore a moment later and they made their way through the neat rows of beds to meet him.

"Hello, Headmaster. Hagrid told me – "

"Ah, Miss Slytherin!" The headmaster said, cutting her off. "You will want to know that Hagrid's information is two days old." His eyes twinkled as he looked down his crooked nose at her. She remained silent, waiting, although her heart was suddenly pounding. Did that mean he was dead?

"Professor Snape awoke yesterday afternoon," Dumbledore said, watching her carefully. From what Severus had told him, he expected to have trouble determining her response. When her eyes widened worriedly, he was surprised.

"We should go," she said immediately.

Dumbledore turned to Janus, who had been silent until now. "And what is your name, young man?"

"Janus Slytherin, sir," he replied respectfully. The old man smiled fondly at him, and Janus suddenly found himself hoping for a Hogwarts letter in a few years, rather than an invitation to attend Beauxbaton.

"Well, Janus, do you know how to cast a cheering charm?"

He shook his head. He watched his mother sit down on an empty bed and put a hand to her temple, as if to ward off a headache. Dumbledore seemed to notice as well. The old headmaster pointed to someone behind her. "That man will teach you how, if you tell him I sent you over. When you've got it, I want you to cast one on every person here who is awake, alright?"

Janus nodded and trotted away. It was nice in this place. He felt safe here. He would never have approached a stranger without his wand ready before now.

The man Dumbledore had indicated was listening impatiently to a younger man with red hair. "Hermione's really upset, and that isn't good for her right now. Isn't there something you can give her to calm her down until Ron wakes up?"

"Nothing that would be any better for her than the stress," the man retorted. With a wry expression the red head turned away. "Bill? Ask Dobby to bring up some herbal tea or something why don't you," the man said gruffly, making Bill turn back to him.

"Thanks. I'll do that."

"Pardon me, sir," Janus said politely, when Bill had gone. The tall man turned around, and they looked at each other for a moment. Janus smiled. "The Headmaster said you would teach me a cheering charm so I could cast it on the patients." Still, the man didn't speak. Instead he knelt down until their eyes were level. Janus was a little bit concerned. Perhaps the man's brain had been addled during the battle, or Dumbledore had pointed to the wrong person.

"Are you a student here? I don't believe I've seen you in any of my classes." The man's voice was hard, and Janus blinked once or twice, deciding to look a little more carefully. He sounded an awful lot like Uncle Macnair had when he was worried. But he didn't look like Uncle Macnair at all. Still, there was something familiar about him.

"No, sir, my name is Janus Slytherin. I'm not old enough to attend Hogwarts yet." He looked at the black robes the man was wearing. They were covered in dust, and the hem was separating on one side. He had obviously not gotten any rest since the battle, and that had been three days ago.

"Slytherin?" the man whispered questioningly. Something seemed to click behind his eyes, and his lips parted slightly. Then he closed his mouth abruptly and looked hard at Janus, placing a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. Janus noticed that his breathing seemed shallow. "Cheering charms it is," the man said quickly.

Dumbledore looked down at the weary form of Manasa Slytherin as she sat on the bed, staring at her hands. When she finally looked up, he was surprised at her question.

"Where's the Malfoy boy?" She had certainly put the boy at risk with her little stunt to save Severus all those years ago, and somehow she thought she should check on him. Dumbledore led her to his bed, but he was still unconscious. She glanced at the boy and girl who sat talking quietly beside Malfoy's bed. The blond girl was idly fingering two wands – one made of glass. She wasn't familiar. But of course she recognized Harry Potter. Hadn't her uncle made her memorize his face in case she got the chance to abduct him during her brief tenure as Professor? She nodded to them and turned away, noticing Dumbledore's confused expression.

"He was very important to Severus," she whispered, answering the headmaster's unspoken question. Then, as if speaking his name reminded her, she added, "We should go, he wouldn't want us here." She turned abruptly, looking for Janus, only to see him looking into the eyes of his father.

"What have you done?" she whispered, her eyes never leaving her son. "I should have been the one to tell him." It was obvious from the way Severus was looking at the boy that he knew. He'd probably known the minute he laid eyes on him.

The headmaster's eyes shone mischievously. "I seem to recall that you once accused me of matchmaking. Perhaps you understood my character better than I like to admit."

She managed a withering glance before turning to watch Severus teach Janus the cheering charm. After two tries, the boy knew it, and Severus sent him off to get started. Then he straightened up and scanned the room for her. When their eyes met, he didn't smile. By the time he reached her, Dumbledore was gone, though Manasa hadn't noticed him leaving.


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1 The Truth This Time

PART ONE CONTINUED

Chapter 2 The Truth This Time

"Manasa."

"Hello Severus."

"You should have told me."

She smiled wanly at this, and his expression softened as well. "It's rather a long story, but I'll be glad to tell it, if you have the time." As Janus would probably be occupied cheering people up for at least an hour, he led her into the hall.

They walked in silence to his quarters. She sat down at the table as he made tea. After an uncomfortable lapse of time, she finally spoke. "If you expect an apology, you're going to be disappointed."

He rounded on her quickly, and his voice was cold. "I don't want an apology. I want answers. The TRUTH, this time."

She nodded. "Where do you want me to start?" Her eyes looked up at him with a sad expression that he would never have expected. He paused for a moment and tried to sound a little less angry. It didn't work.

"How about the beginning? Did Dumbledore ever even send you to my office?" He asked scathingly.

"No," she whispered, averting her gaze.

"I suppose you were the seeker on your school's Quidditch team, too?" his voice was rising. Very soon he was going to be screaming at her, but he didn't care.

"Chaser," she replied, still looking away. The teapot whistled and he ignored it.

"And your dead uncle?" he hissed.

"Tom Riddle."

He looked at her for a moment with a furious expression before he wheeled back around and grabbed the teapot. He took a deep breath and poured the tea, his mind turning like a top. It had all been lies. Had he really expected anything else?

When he was sure he could keep a civil tone, he began again. "And Janus?"

"Uncle Tom wanted to bring the Slytherin name back into prominence in the wizarding world. I was his only hope of that. My parents died before I was old enough to remember them, and he raised me from that time. I went everywhere with him, hidden under an invisibility cloak. I was there the day you took the mark."

Severus leaned against the counter and watched her as he sipped his tea. She was gazing around the room, looking anywhere but at him. But he was calmer now that he was getting some answers, so he waited silently.

"When he managed to resurrect his body, he was thrilled that I hadn't married. I had been living as Kimber Alderfer since the night he disappeared, but I felt the mark that night, and knew he had returned."

"You don't have the mark," Severus interjected, inwardly wincing. Saying that only reminded him of how he knew that information. A vision of bare skin flashed before his eyes and he blinked, forcing himself to concentrate on her answer.

"It's on the inside of my ankle, where no one was likely to look. I had it long before I was old enough to know what it was." She looked up at him and noticed that he looked extremely uncomfortable with that knowledge. She looked away again and continued hurriedly. "Uncle Tom wanted me to have a son. He decided that Lucius had the purest bloodline of all his death eaters. Lucius was told that we'd kill his wife and he would marry me instead. The real plan was to kill him before the child was born, so Janus would be named Slytherin rather than Malfoy."

Comprehension was beginning to come to Severus in a round about way. He recalled that Lucius had begged Narcissa to go to his family in France not long after the Dark Lord returned. That at least seemed to match Manasa's story. Lucius would have protected Narci at all costs, he knew. Finally he nodded his acceptance and she took a deep breath to continue. "He was a first rate bastard, and I decided very quickly that I wouldn't be having his child. Then I met you."

She stopped abruptly and finally met his eyes. On her face was a shadow of the calculating expression that had first intrigued him. He narrowed his eyes. She obviously expected him to figure something out. But he wasn't interested in puzzles just now.

"He sent you to find out if I was a spy. Why did you lie for me?" He kept his voice even, affecting disinterest. But his heart had begun to hammer before the words were out of his mouth. She didn't answer. Waiting, he lifted his mug to his lips to find that it was empty. He was too distracted to put it down.

"Was it true, what you told him? That you never cared for me at all?" So much for attempting to sound disinterested. His voice shook as he spoke, and again he waited.

"No," she whispered finally. "That wasn't true."

He stared at her for a moment. "Then it did mean something to you? You couldn't hand me over to him after that." He knew that sounded rather arrogant, but hadn't been able to come up with a better way to phrase it. To his surprise she laughed harshly.

Her voice was bitter as she answered. "Yes. It meant something," she spat. "But it wouldn't have saved you. I don't know why I stayed until morning. I should have gone."

Severus tried to take another sip of tea, and realized again that his cup was empty. This time he threw it into the sink, where it cracked loudly. In his moment of distraction, she'd looked away again.

"I don't think anyone had ever uttered the word 'love' in my presence before, Severus. I could have killed you, in spite of my own feelings. That's what I'd been raised to do. But I couldn't kill you in spite of YOUR feelings. I couldn't kill the only person who'd ever – " She stopped speaking, her eyes fixed on the floor.

He was surprised. But before he could decide whether or not to comfort her, she'd collected herself and continued. "I wanted the Slytherin name to flourish, just as he did, but suddenly the price was too high. I decided that casting doubt on Janus' parentage was the only way to keep you safe. If I said I didn't know who the father was, then Janus would have to be named Slytherin anyway."

"But by the time he was 2 it was obvious he was yours. The Dark Arts professor at Beauxbaton was Macnair, and he took one look at the boy and knew. I made him promise not to tell Uncle Tom, and he agreed. He cared about you a great deal."

"You're speaking in past tense," Severus said, his shock registering in his voice. She paused again, as if gathering strength. This wouldn't be an easy thing to tell him.

"I told him I didn't want a Death Eater for my child's Godfather. He didn't take much convincing, and we were in contact with Dumbledore from then on. He gave his life to warn Madam Maxime about the attack. Janus is taking it pretty hard. He's a strong boy, Severus. You would be proud of him." There was just a hint of hope in her voice. She wondered if he could look past what she'd done to him and learn to care for Janus.

Macnair's death was a hard thing to swallow. Severus had tried, those first few months of the summer, to find out if his old friend was truly loyal to Voldemort. Manasa had succeeded where he'd failed. She had managed to convince Macnair to join the right side, in the end. He was grateful for that. It hit him suddenly that he was grateful to her for several other things as well. He owed her his life.

She was looking into her own empty cup as if she could find some strength there. He understood a great deal more now. She'd hidden the boy from anyone who might recognize him as a Snape. And she'd lied to Lord Voldemort to protect Severus because somehow it mattered to her that he cared for her. It hadn't seemed that way at the time, but perhaps that was only because he hadn't known her very well.

Silently he took the cup out of her hands and put it on the counter. Taking both of her hands in his, he pulled her out of the chair. He didn't know how to put into words the only question he had left.

The silence was lengthening, and he still hadn't quite come up with what he wanted to ask her when the door to his quarters flew open. "SEVERUS?" It was Sirius Black, and he looked agitated, until his eyes fell on them.

"Mur's awake," he exclaimed, a little more calmly. "Thought you'd want to know." Sirius felt remarkably awkward, now that he realized Severus wasn't alone. It occurred to him that interrupting them to talk about Muriel might not have been the best thing he could have done. Severus, however, didn't seem to notice. He dropped Manasa's hands immediately and they all set out for the hospital wing.

They were met at the door by Fred and George Weasley. "George, be reasonable! You just woke up, let Poppy check you out first." Fred was following his brother with a shocked expression on his face. Severus stopped them both with a look.

"You recall, Weasley, that at least two days of rest are necessary for each day you remained unconscious?" He knew the boys were aware of this, since they'd been his primary test subjects for the potion. It slipped his mind for a moment that he'd ignored that guideline himself.

George didn't even look at him as he answered, his eyes still turned angrily toward Fred. "I'm going to Egypt and I'm leaving from the store in 20 minutes. I kept my promise to you and stayed until everything was finished here. Now I'm going to keep my promise to her." Severus and Sirius were both staring at the boys as if they were grindylows in disguise. Since when did the Weasley twins ever disagree on anything? "Are you and Angelina coming along, or not?"

At this question, Fred perked up a bit. "Yeah, alright," he said quickly. Severus, Sirius and Manasa watched the boys walk out down the stairs, shoulder to shoulder. Pausing only a moment to wonder what that was all about, Severus pushed open the hospital ward door and headed for Muriel's bed.


	4. Chapter 3 Part 1 The Girls Gang Up On ...

**PART ONE CONCLUDED **

**Chapter 3 - The Girls Gang Up On Severus**

Mur looked remarkably weak as Severus and Sirius took up chairs on either side of her bed. Sirius took her hand again. He was finally getting used to her asking for her best friend when things like this happened, and for the first time, he hadn't been annoyed at having to fetch him.

"Were you hit with anything else we should know about?" Severus asked quietly. She looked awfully pale to him. Muriel looked up at him curiously. His expression wasn't right. Then she noticed the woman behind him, who looked extremely confused. She fought back a grin.

"How many curses do you think I'd let myself be hit by, Sev?" As she'd expected, her use of a nickname seemed to irk the thin woman who was staring at her. She'd never met her before, but she knew who she must be. Severus seemed to notice that Mur was looking past him. He began to introduce the women, but Muriel cut him off, grinning impishly.

"Manasa, right?" she asked, sitting up against Sirius' protests, and offering her hand. "I'm Muriel Black, and this is my husband, Sirius." She felt the woman's mind become less tense as they shook hands. She winked at Severus, who was beginning to look very uncomfortable. Impish grins on Mur's face were a dangerous thing. Last time he'd seen one, he had spent two weeks dodging hexes in the hallways as part of her DADA assignments!

"Severus has told me a lot about you," Mur continued. This was true. During their Sunday evening chats, he had confided to her everything about Manasa. He scowled at his old friend. That was NOT something he'd wanted Manasa to know, however.

The women's eyes were locked, and Severus knew that they were passing information somehow. He had always HATED that about Muriel. Suddenly she seemed a bit paler, and she sat back against the pillows.

"My head!" she exclaimed. "Where did this headache come from?" She was whispering, and had a hand over her temple, her eyes closed.

"Perhaps from trying to read the mind of a full blooded Slytherin?" Manasa offered in a dangerous voice. Severus looked up, surprised.

"I don't know how NOT to read you!" Mur sounded really frustrated. "Sev, could you take her outside? We're going to have to get used to each other gradually, I think."

Sirius was glaring angrily at the woman as Severus stood and led her quickly out into the hall. But as soon as their backs were turned, he looked back at Muriel. He was surprised to find her relaxing with an arm behind her head and grinning again.

"I'm going to like that woman," Mur said, laughingly. "Now, can you get me a quill and some parchment? I need to write the Minister of Magic about Hermione and Sev's Order of Merlins for that potion." Sirius, who had already written a similar letter when he'd awoken yesterday, summoned the items to them and leaned over to read what she would write.

Severus closed the door of the hospital ward and was prepared to ask Manasa what the hell she'd done to Mur when he turned to find her wearing a smile that was uncannily like the grin Muriel had been giving him.

"I'm going to like that woman," Manasa said quietly. He looked at her questioningly. "Do you know what she told me?" He shook his head no. "She said you've been waiting a long time to kiss me, and you're a very impatient man, so we needed to find a way to get you back out of the hospital ward."

Severus couldn't help but laugh. Things were going to be very interesting at Hogwarts with these two around. He pulled her into a tight embrace and leaned down to kiss her. But he paused before their lips met.

"Will you stay?" he asked carefully. He didn't want to begin this again if she was just going to go back into hiding. She nodded slowly. There was nothing left to hide from.


	5. Chapter 4 Part 2 Promise Kept

_AN: This chapter is longer than the previous few, but don't get used to it. But suffer through the short chapters and I promise (Oh ye of little faith) that I'll make it up to you at the last._

* * *

**PART TWO**

**Chapter 4 - Promise Kept**

George could hear Angelina shifting from one foot to the other behind him. He pictured her nervously holding his brother's arm as though they were about to be formally introduced at their own wedding reception. Well, soon enough. He, himself, waited stoically. The slight upturn of his lips was the only indication that he was at all content with where he found himself. A misplaced look if he'd ever worn one.

The room was dingy. Worthless artifacts lined the shelves along the walls, and the dust was rising lazily through slants of sunlight from the windows, which were filthy. Fred coughed behind him, and he swung his eyes around to see that a rather beefy man had taken up residence behind an ancient cash register. Aside from the hair color, he reminded George a bit of Harry's Uncle Vernon.

The man grunted but didn't speak. George didn't step forward, though his brother prodded him in the back, making Angelina giggle. He shot them an annoyed look and turned back to the man.

"I'm here to see Jamila."

The man's eyes narrowed menacingly, though he still said nothing. Identical grins broke out on the twins' faces, and even Angelina, nervous as she was, smiled a little. They'd found the right place. George strode forward, pulling something out of his pocket.

"Just give her this and see if she doesn't come downstairs." He set a worn and folded scrap of paper on the counter and the man snatched it up abruptly, then mounted the stairs and climbed out of their line of sight. George turned around to see that Fred, predictably, was already examining a scoop full of beetles.

"Better stock than the apothecary in Diagon Alley," he commented dryly. "Reckon we could make them dance a jig?" For just a moment the light of mischief danced in his eyes, then he saw the look on his brother's face. "I know, I promised."

"Too right! I stuck with you through the whole war and played every prank you wanted while we were at school. I helped you get the joke shop up and running, as promised. All that is surely worth an hour of good behavior."

Angelina sniggered as her boyfriend's face fell. "How'd you know she was upstairs?" she asked, still giggling a bit.

"The ceiling is purple." He'd tried many times to explain to them exactly what kind of connection the blue gem had made between him and Jamila, but he wasn't really sure himself. When he looked her direction, he saw purple. It got fainter, the further away she was, but it never entirely disappeared. He'd thought that they'd broken the spell all those years ago when he sneaked into her room, but it had never entirely left him. He remembered Bill's knowing stare. Bill, who was probably still fretting over Ron and Hermione back at Hogwarts, which is exactly where he and Fred ought to have been at that moment.

His eyes were drawn to the staircase only a few moments before a pair of bare feet appeared. Jamila descended, already speaking with a tone of deep distrust, though she hadn't seen more than their knees so far. George couldn't keep the grin from forming in spite of her obvious disapproval. "Who the hell do you think you are? The sign says closed and that's what we are – CLOSED." They'd apparated into the shop from the street outside, not particularly caring whether or not they were seen.

A pair of flowing trousers, obviously purchased from a tourist shop, possibly the one they'd noticed across the street, came into view, then a matching top. Finally her short, dark hair, framing a face that seemed not to have aged at all. She stopped on the stairs as soon as they were fully in view, a look of confusion replacing the anger of a moment before.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

Fred and Angelina exchanged a worried glance. Bill had said that he'd wiped the girl's memory, but no one had been able to convince George that she might not recognize him.

Jamila's face became even more confused. "I've asked you - we've had this conversation before," she stuttered.

George's grin widened as she looked into his eyes. She didn't seem to have even noticed Fred and Angelina. He took a step forward and recognition flashed briefly across her features.

"George." It wasn't a question, she was sure.

The beefy man appeared behind her on the stairs and took her elbow, as though afraid she might faint. He helped her the rest of the way down, glaring angrily at the intruders.

"Into the office, Lakim," she said quietly. He nodded and opened the door, standing aside to let everyone pass, then hulking with the closed door at his back as Jamila sat down. "Lakim, please check on the girls, and do your perimeter walk. I think we'll be fine."

After a moment's hesitation, the door opened and closed again and they were alone. There was an uncomfortable silence as Fred and Angelina found chairs. George stood, still looking intently at Jamila.

"Lakim used to work for Nadir. When I opened the shop, Nadir ordered a hit on me to remove whatever competition I might offer, and Lakim was given the honors. He let me live. For his trouble, Nadir removed his tongue, among other things." She paused to let the implication sink in, and Fred and George both winced. When a look of revulsion crossed Angelina's face as well, Jamila continued. "Now he works as my security guard. He is uniquely suited for guarding the orphaned girls who are housed here," she finished delicately.

"You run an illegal orphanage?" George asked quietly. Jamila closed her eyes and opened them again before replying, fixing her gaze on the desk in front of her.

"The government orphanage is poorly run and poorly funded. The girls and boys are housed together and no one monitors their activities. Lakim and his brother, Mikal, and I, were stuck there together for three years before I ran away to avoid them. I know what goes on there, and I know why the girls run away. I also know what they resort to in order to support themselves on the street. It was three years after I left the orphanage before I was strong enough to support myself by raiding the pyramids."

No one spoke, and she didn't dare look up to catch their expressions. "I thought when I got the money from the Gem that I'd leave this place forever. But I ran into an old friend that day. She was bruised from her last trick and hungry. I gave her enough for a week's worth of meals. I realized then that someone had to do something about it. It wasn't enough just to save myself." Finally she looked up at George, whose brow was furrowed as he tried to comprehend all that she was saying. Maybe he was searching for a way to make the truth something other than what she was so plainly describing.

"I started this orphanage so that these girls won't have to live through what I did," she finished. Tears were starting in her eyes. She knew that George should have known all of this about her years ago, but there hadn't been time then. There had only been the compulsion.

Fred stood abruptly. "So you were a whore?" he exclaimed loudly.

"FRED!" Angelina hissed angrily, pulling him back into his chair. It was a good thing she had, because George had already crossed the room, and the swing he threw at his brother's head hit nothing but air. For a moment he was overbalanced, and Fred had the presence of mind to scramble out of the chair and put Angelina between them.

George was glaring at his twin with a look of hatred that made him barely recognizable. Angelina looked first at one, then at the other in disbelief. Jamila only smiled sadly.

"Yes, Fred. I was a whore," she stated quietly. She stood, then, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Lakim?" she questioned in the same tone.

Instantly the door opened and the hulking bodyguard appeared in the doorway, his face set in a wary scowl. It was obvious that he'd never left the other side of that door.

"Their business here is concluded. Please show them out."

Fred and George, standing on either side of Angelina's chair, watched wide-eyed as Jamila left quickly through a door they hadn't noticed before. George might have stared all evening if Lakim's heavy hand hadn't fallen on his shoulder to guide him out.

Jamila leaned heavily against the door to her office. The corridor ahead of her was empty, as all the girls were in the upstairs dining hall for dinner. She knew she should be up there with them. It was entirely possible that half the meal would be wasted in a food fight if no one was there to supervise, but she just couldn't bring herself to face anyone.

In the last few minutes she'd regained memories that explained all the strange dreams she'd been having for the past 8 years: Very emotional memories. Somehow, seeing George had brought that entire day crashing back into her conscious mind, and everything else had been pushed aside. She'd known immediately what she had to do, of course. Men like George don't date prostitutes, even reformed ones. Fred's reaction had validated that belief. She'd done the right thing. So then, why did she feel like crying?

Lakim escorted the bemused wizards back into the shop, then out onto the darkening street. Angelina followed, wondering what was going to happen when Fred and George weren't separated by the hulking figure before her. She found out as the silent man abruptly turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind him.

"George, I'm sorry, I was just surprised -" Fred began quickly.

But George cut off his apology. "Go home, Fred."

"Where will you go?" Angelina asked quietly. George turned to her with a puzzled expression, as if he'd forgotten that she was with them.

"No where. I'll get a room here somewhere and maybe she'll talk to me tomorrow."

Angelina nodded. In all the years she'd played Quidditch with Fred and George, she'd never seen either of them behave the way they had tonight. Fred had been unaccountably rude, and George? Well, he was furious.

"Come on, Fred," she said, taking her boyfriend's hand. "Let's check on Ron." Fred only nodded silently before they disapparated, leaving George alone in the dusty street.


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2 No Is Not Acceptable

**PART TWO CONTINUED**

**Chapter 5 - No Is Not Acceptable**

He didn't start knocking until the sun came up. It was ten minutes before a very disgruntled-looking Lakim came to the door and gestured him inside. He didn't wait to hear what George wanted. He already knew. Jamila had explained it to him over coffee the night before. But his employer had obviously misjudged the redhead, because he'd come back. Jamila had been so sure that he wouldn't.

Lakim showed him into the office and went through the door Jamila had used the day before. He knocked softly on her door, and was a little startled when she invited him in immediately. She was never up this early.

"What is it?"

His dull eyes took in her tearstained cheeks, and her bed, which was still made. Like the man waiting in the office, she was still wearing the clothes from the day before. She hadn't slept. Lakim shook his head. He'd learned early on that hand signals were next to useless. Instead he stepped out of the doorway and held the door open to indicate that she needed to follow. He heard her sigh as she stood.

She followed him back to the office, her eyes fixed on the ground. Would she run when she saw who was waiting for her? Lakim wasn't sure. He'd sat with her for hours the previous night, and listened. But he had come away with no clear picture of how she felt about the situation. He heard her intake of breath when she looked up, and turned quickly to grab her arm. He hadn't even opened the door yet. She pulled, but he shook his head. He was curious to see how she'd react to George today.

He opened the door and pulled her through. The office appeared empty, but she was still agitated. Lakim wondered briefly if the man had left. Then Jamila spoke. "The room's purple, George. I know you're here somewhere." She sounded resigned, and Lakim decided it would be safe to leave her alone. He could hear well enough from outside the door.

When the door fell closed behind him, George straightened up. He'd been hiding behind her high-backed desk chair. He grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't sure you'd want to talk to me."

"I don't," she snapped, wiping the grin from his face. "But we need to discuss this. Your brother blocked my memory of that day, but apparently he didn't erase it entirely. It all came back when I saw you. I want you to erase it again, and never come back here." She spoke harshly, in spite of the lump forming in her throat. Her hand was still on the doorknob, as though she might have to make a hasty exit.

George looked at the floor. "I can't do that," he whispered.

"You can. I watched you knock out Mikal all those years ago, and you were only a child then. Surely you're just as capable as your brother was by now." She kept her eyes focused on the replica artifact she'd placed in her bookshelf all those years ago. She hadn't known then why she was so drawn to the gaudy blue scarab beetle. Now, she wished she'd never placed it there. Still, it was better than looking at George. It was always so difficult to look away from him.

"I can't because I need you to remember me," he said quietly. As she'd been day dreaming, he'd stepped closer.

"Don't do this, George." His hand was covering hers on the knob now. With his other hand, he tilted her face toward his, forcing her to look up into his eyes. He paused a moment to enjoy the fact that he'd grown taller than she had.

"It's been eight years," he whispered emphatically. "I still dream of you. I don't think I can wait another minute."

Jamila looked at him helplessly, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks again. Her dreams came rushing back through her mind, making sense, now that she remembered. And she realized abruptly that she couldn't tell him no. He leaned toward her and she closed her eyes, nearly sobbing when their lips met.

It was a moment that should have lasted forever. But before he could wrap his arms around her, they felt the doorknob turn under their hands and sprang apart just as Lakim's face appeared. He looked furious.

A shout from down the hall took Jamila's attention. A young girl, no more than 9 or 10, was calling for her hysterically, and she rushed off to see what was wrong. George, however, kept his eyes on Lakim, who looked awfully relieved, considering all the screaming. Several other girls could be heard crying as well. George narrowed his eyes before pushing past the hulking figure and following the sounds down the corridor.


	7. Chapter 6 Part 2 More Trusting Than Sh...

PART TWO CONTINUED

Chapter 6 More Trusting Than She Meant To Be

Jamila ran down the corridor. Nicora was running towards her, calling for her. She caught the girl up in her arms as she chattered wildly about Domica coming home. The older girl had been gone all night, having gone to the pyramids yesterday and never come back.

Girls from the orphanage frequently spent a few nights away from home, so Jamila hadn't been worried, but now she was terrified. Nicora was talking incoherently about blood and bruises. Domica had obviously been caught out, probably by Mikal, from the injuries Nicora was describing. The little girl was heavy, but Jamila ran carrying her as though it was nothing. Nicora pointed towards a door, and Jamila set her down as soon as they'd entered, stifling a gasp. All the girls had come running and most were crying.

On her bed lie Domica, the eldest of the girls at 16. Her face was bruised almost beyond recognition and her clothing torn. Jamila hurried to pull the covers from another bed and hide her from view before Lakim and George entered the room. She wiped away tears and started firing off questions.

"Who found her?"

"I did, she was trying to get home. She was about three blocks away." Marlynn answered swiftly, her voice angry. The 13 year old girl was sitting on a nearby bed, her face the only one not discolored by tears. She had looked similar when Jamila had first found her, and had hardened her heart when it came to emotion. Jamila knew she cared about Domica, however, and she tried to give her a reassuring smile. It wasn't returned.

"Before she passed out, did she say anything?"

"Mikal," came the furious answer.

"Of course."

George came into the room a moment later, followed closely by Lakim. "Sweet Merlin!" he exclaimed, pulling out his wand and striding across the room.

Several of the girls shrieked at the sight of a man in their room, and Marlynn moved between George and her injured friend with a furious glance at Lakim. She didn't understand why their bodyguard wasn't protecting them.

George looked at Jamila, who shook her head. "You shouldn't be in here, you're upsetting them."

"I can help her," he responded pleadingly. Did Jamila really think he'd ever hurt one of these girls?

"Go with Lakim, I'll be out to speak with you when – "

"NO!" Domica awakened suddenly and sat straight up in bed. "Don't send anyone with Lakim!" Her eyes were wide with horror as she looked toward the door. Jamila, standing beside the bed, shushed her gently.

"It was Mikal who hurt you, love," she began soothingly. "He can't get you here."

Domica let herself be pushed back into the bed, too weak to resist. "But Mikal wouldn't have been whispering your name, Jamila," she said determinedly. "I saw them. I heard them. Mikal and Nadir are coming. Lakim will let them in."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Lakim. George had made his way behind the man and was now standing between him and the door, wand out. Jamila approached him slowly. Behind her the girls gathered around Domica's bed silently.

"What would cause you to go back to them after all they did to you?" she whispered, never questioning Domica's word. "What the hell were you getting out of the deal, Lakim?"

In answer, his face broke into the devilish grin she remembered from her own time in the orphanage. She made to step back away from him when his hand shout out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her hand to his crotch. She felt him harden beneath her fingers and heard George's shout. "YOU," Lakim answered wickedly.

Without a thought, she dug her nails in and twisted, making him scream and fall to the floor. When he opened his mouth she caught his cheeks with the same hand and kept his jaw open. His tongue had never been removed either.

A moment later, George had stunned him and tied him up. Jamila was shaking with rage, and he stepped over the large man and put her arms around her. "I'll kill him," she whispered. "He hurt her and I'll kill him."

Behind her she could hear the girls whispering. George was ignoring them. "Can you really heal her," she asked finally. He pulled away and nodded. The girls made a pathway for them to get to Domica's bedside. It was nearly 20 minutes before her face was no longer bruised. He performed a contraceptive charm for good measure, then woke her up.

The girls crowded around her again and he stepped outside their circle. It was a hard lesson for him in exactly what Jamila had gone through as a child. He wanted a way to rescue her from that, from this. He fingered the box in his pocket. He'd come to Egypt prepared to ask her to marry him, but he hadn't been expecting 9 little girls who needed rescuing, too.

Nicora left the group of girls and stood beside George, who'd leaned against the wall by the door, his eyes on Lakim. At only 9 years old, she was still rather short and had to tilt her chin up a good ways to look at him. He was lost in thought, so she took his hand to get his attention and he started a little. "What's your name," she asked, though Jamila had just answered the same question for the whispering girls surrounding Domica's bed.

"George Weasley. What's yours?"

"Nicora."

He smiled down at her bemusedly, wondering why she'd come over. Then she spoke again in a confidential whisper. "They never catch me, you know. Jamila says I'm charmed. Just last month I got trapped down an alley and escaped through a door in the brick wall. When I went back the next day, there wasn't a door."

This got George's attention. The girl was a witch! He handed her his wand. "Wave it toward the girls and say "Cherieth." She did, and a few of the girls broke out into giggles. George smiled. "It's a cheering charm," he said, in answer to the girl's questioning eyes. "It cheers people up when they've had a rough day."

"So I CAN do magic, just like you?"

"Looks like it. But you're too young to start school, and I've never heard about a magic school in Egypt." The excited smile that had graced her face faded away to be replaced by disappointment. She stood, watching the others and wishing there was a cheering charm on her, too. She quickly became aware of the curious glances Jamila was throwing toward them, however, and decided on a new topic of conversation.

"You love her, don't you?"

George, who'd grown accustomed to her silence, jumped and looked at her before smiling. "Yes. It's not what I thought it'd be like when I was your age, though."

Nicora tilted her head. "You mean it's not all coming up roses?" she asked wisely. George laughed, her expression was so comical. Wisdom from a nine year old was probably the funniest thing that had happened since he'd arrived here. That made him stop and think. Laughing was an every day occurrence at the Burrow. Here it took a cheering charm to spur even a few giggles. He looked thoughtfully at the now stirring figure of Lakim, then back at Nicora's innocent smile. And he made a decision.


	8. Chapter 7 Part 2 Refilling the Burrow

**PART TWO CONCLUDED**

**Chapter 7 - Refilling the Burrow**

George went over to the struggling figure of Lakim. He knelt down and looked the man in the eye. "I've had to go nearly a week without playing a prank on anyone. Much as I'd like to do something really painful to you, I think this is more fitting."

With a few whispered words, he stood Lakim on his feet, gave him long blond hair and dressed him in a hideous evening gown. Behind him the girls laughed hysterically. Then he took it a step further and gave him breasts, huge ones to fill out the dress. George was laughing so hard that tears were pouring from his eyes, though it wasn't really a funny situation.

"I'd say a few hours muddling around Cairo dressed like that will give you a small inkling of the humiliation you've inflicted on others," he said quietly, so the laughing girls behind him couldn't hear. But Jamila caught the words and stepped to his side.

"Who knows? Perhaps your foul brother will mistake you for a whore and treat you as you've treated us all these years," she added. The girls had suddenly stopped laughing.

"Where should I put him?" George asked.

"Just toss him out the door. He'll have to find his way across town." Jamila was still smiling wickedly.

George turned back to Lakim, who was still bound and looked horrified. "Don't bother bringing the goons. By the time you get back there'll be more protective charms on this place than you could ever hope to overcome. Or better yet," he added, casting a quick glance at Jamila. "Maybe it'll just be empty."

An instant later George and Lakim disappeared. Jamila looked questioningly at the girls, but her eyes were drawn back at the sound of George's return. He was grinning, but looked suddenly nervous. "He's gone. Can I talk to you for a second?"

At her nod, he led her out into the hallway. His hand came up to grasp the back of his neck and his eyes seemed permanently fixed on the floorboards. Somehow the knowledge of how she'd been treated growing up made him far more shy than he'd ever been. He wished suddenly that he was his brother, calling across the common room to invite a girl to the dance without a trace of embarrassment. He swallowed hard and pulled the ring out of his pocket.

"Look, I know you have a lot of responsibility here that you can't just leave behind," he began. Jamila was looking at him confusedly. "And my family's got a big house that's empty now that we've all grown up." He risked a glance at her face, then continued so quickly that his words ran together. "It's near a great little village called Ottery St. Catchpole, with a school, and Hogwarts would take Nicora and my mum would love to have the girls stay there, I know. She was complaining about the empty house just last month, and – "

"George, what are you saying?" Jamila interrupted worriedly.

His eyes snapped up to her face. "Marry me," he said quickly, "and bring the girls to the Burrow." He felt his heart race as her mouth dropped open, then he remembered the ring and opened the box to show her.

From the other side of the door came the buzz of excited whispering and Jamila blinked and stuttered. "I – I can't just uproot them. I need to talk to them first." She reached out with a shaking hand and closed the box, breathing heavily.

George recovered quickly, though it seemed to him that his heart had quit beating. "I'll go back to Hogwarts for a few days, then, shall I, and check on Ron? I'll come back Friday."

Jamila nodded, not knowing who Ron was, but feeling the need to escape. She went back into the girls' room and closed the door. George fell back against the wall heavily and wished he'd brought his extendible ears. As it was he caught a few whispered comments.

"You're crazy, what are you waiting for?"

"Back in bed, Domica, you know better than to be up!"

"How could you tell him no?"

"I could study magic!" This last was Nicora.

"That's enough, all of you! You should all be upstairs having breakfast. Not you, Domica, Marlynn will bring you something down. Out, all of you!"

Realizing that he'd heard all he was likely to, George hastily disapparated before the hallway could flood with children. He walked the perimeter of the building, casting charms to keep out those with bad intentions, then hurried back to Hogwarts. He had an awful lot to discuss with his parents, but he knew they wouldn't mind. Molly Weasley had been heartbroken when Ginny'd told her she wasn't coming back to the Burrow if Voldemort was defeated. She'd wanted a chance to make her own way in the world, and now she had it, but it left the Burrow empty.

Friday morning found him wandering the street outside Jamilla's shop, wondering when was an acceptable time to start banging on the door again. His mother had been thrilled with the idea. She'd already gone down to the school building to inform them that she might be adopting several children who would need to attend there and gotten the necessary forms for the muggle school. His father was no less enthusiastic. Having muggles in the house meant having muggle technology and books in the house, which meant he would be free to learn and experiment to his heart's content.

George walked past the antique shop again and noticed that the sign now said, "OPEN." After a moment's hesitation, he went inside.

Domica, looking fully healed, was perched on a stool behind the counter. She looked up when he came in and smiled. "Told her you'd be back." Then she went to the door and opened it. "Gather your things, girls," she hollered.

George grinned at the sudden laughter and shouting that accompanied this proclamation. Domica had turned back to him. "I'll just go get my own things and send Jamila out," she said, returning his smile. But Jamila was already coming through the door.

"I guess they're excited," George commented as the door closed behind Domica.

"They didn't particularly care if I was coming along, I don't think," she replied laughingly, then her face fell as she saw his expression become serious.

"Well, I do."

"George, I don't know if I'm ready. It's just a spell. It could wear off and then I – " She didn't finish.

"Then you what?" he asked gently. He reached out and took her hand.

"Then I'll be all alone in a different country," she finished lamely. He wasn't buying it. He'd gotten too good at making up stories not to recognize one when he heard it.

"If you think I could ever hurt you – "

"Not on purpose," she assured him quickly.

"Jamila, I love you," he whispered, his free hand coming up to brush her cheek. "It's so much more than just the spell."

She watched him close his eyes and lean toward her, and for the first time she wasn't afraid. She met his lips with her own and heard the girls on the other side of the door giggle. George heard them too, and started to pull away, but she'd already put a hand at his neck and didn't let him. She may not be ready to get married, but this kiss was long overdue.

When he realized she didn't care who saw, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her closer. This brought outright laughter and whoops of joy from the girls, who were still peeking through the crack in the door behind them.

"Now," George said, his arms still around her waist possessively. "For your introduction to the wizarding world, I'll summon the Knight Bus and we'll meet Mum and Dad at the Burrow." He knew the kind of welcome that would await them. Mrs. Weasley had spent all last night deciding what to serve for lunch. Fred and Angelina had promised to be there, as well as Bill, Fleur, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Penelope. Percy had to work, and Charlie had just blushed and said he was busy, but it still looked to be a great turn out.

With any luck, Nicora would ride her first broomstick today, and the rest of the girls would be enchanted with the sight of the village from the hill. He grinned as he helped the girls onto the bus and told them all to hold onto something, then grinned even more when Jamila decided to hold onto him. A few hops, skips and jumps and they'd all be happily and SAFELY at the Burrow.

* * *

_AN: An epilogue is coming, and should feature the whole gang. I know this has been a triathalon, and I appreciate everyone sticking with me. There've been some dogs among my stories, I know, but you all read them and told me honestly what you didn't like, and that was really helpful. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed, and especially those I've kept up a running correspondence with - there are so many that I can't name you all here. (Not that all those people are still reviewing, but it is nice to have made so many online friends out of this experience.) The epilogue will be a fitting reward for those of you who've suffered through the short chapters in this installment of the story. Thanks again._

_-Brandy_


	9. Chapter 8 A Final Epilogue

**A Final Epilogue**

**May, 2011**

"Well, it's up to me to explain what we're doing, I guess." Ava Riddel stood nervously on the makeshift stage in the Room of Requirement, a hot spotlight preventing her from seeing exactly who was sitting at the tables around her. She knew that most of the Order of the Phoenix had come, however, because Theda had told her they would, and Theda was always right. Also, she was pretty sure Dumbledore had coerced them all, one way or another. She almost giggled at that thought, but then remembered what she'd agreed to do. There was no backing out now.

"A few months ago, Theda bought herself a karioke machine." Here she paused, trying to decide how to explain that to people who'd never been in the muggle world. "It's an electronic device for playing songs without the vocals. It's got this microphone so that I- we - can sing instead of whoever recorded the song." She had no idea whether the wizards understood that at all, but continued doggedly. This was the EASY part of her time on stage, after all.

"Mr. Weasley found the machine and mentioned it to Professor Dumbledore. Then they approached Theda and the three of them decided that it would be fun if all the girls in the Order got up here and – er – "

She wanted to say 'made fools out of themselves over the men they love,' but didn't think it would go over well with those waiting backstage, except maybe Professor Deesia, who seemed to think that this was just as stupid as Ava did. Instead, she sucked up her courage and said what Theda had made her memorize.

"Er- Express our feelings for the people we care about."

Out among the tables, Harry poked Draco hard. He'd only just got them talking again, and he wanted his friend to see how significant it was that Ava was up there. Draco didn't turn his eyes away from Ava at all. It was entirely possible that her song would be for someone else. After all, even after she'd finished school and joined the Order, they'd barely spoken and NEVER worked together. And it wasn't as if she was looking his direction at all.

She was dressed in a pale blue evening gown and looked very self-conscious. She wasn't the kind of girl who was used to having expensive things, Draco knew. The music started and she stood very still.

Ava had debated with herself whether or not to give her disclaimer. She could just make out the sparkle of Dumbledore's eyes in the front row, and frankly the sight strengthened her rebellious nature. At the last minute she spoke over the music. "You should know that the Headmaster threatened to take my favorite wand away if I didn't show up."

Several people laughed quietly, though she couldn't be sure who they were. A few beats later, she began to sing.

_Crazy_

_I'm crazy for feeling so lonely.  
I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue.  
I knew you'd love me as long as you wanted  
and then some day you'd leave me for somebody new._

_Worry, why do I let myself worry  
wondering what in the world did I do._

_Crazy_

_for thinking that my love could hold you.  
I'm crazy for trying  
and crazy for crying  
and I'm crazy for -_

_Worry, why do I let myself worry  
wonderin' what in the world could I do._

_Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.  
I'm crazy for trying  
and crazy for crying  
and I'm crazy for loving you._

Ava rushed off the stage, having barely whispered the final words of the song. Draco's mouth fell open. The first time that line had come around, she hadn't sung it, and he'd elbowed Ron to see if he knew the lyrics. Ron had only shrugged. 

Behind the curtain there was a loud popping noise, and someone whispered, "It's still on. Go on, Mur." The applause for Ava died down, and after a bit more popping, Muriel stumbled out onto the stage, having obviously been pushed. She was dressed in blue jeans and a black tee-shirt that might have been borrowed from Tonks, considering that it was cut raggedly above her waistline, showing her navel. She made quite a contrast to Ava's elegance, with a microphone in one hand and her wand in the other. She hastily put her wand away as Sirius, and Sirius alone, started clapping. She narrowed her eyes, and he stopped abruptly and coughed into his hand.

"This was not my idea." She began angrily. Then she brightened a little. "Well, I did get to choose the song, and it isn't nearly as hard as the one Ava did." Here she paused and squinted toward Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you still sitting out there?" she asked indignantly. Her magnified voice startled him into closing his mouth, but he didn't answer. Harry, sitting at the table behind Draco, shouted, "YES!"

Mur raised an eyebrow, and Remus, who was standing somewhere in the back, chuckled softly. He knew that look. "Get yourself backstage, Mr. Malfoy," she said, holding the microphone away from her mouth. Then she turned toward the sound of the laughter and spoke into the microphone again. "You'll get yours, Moony," she warned, smirking. "But in the meantime, if you could just stand behind Sirius that'd be very helpful." The horrid spotlight was blinding her, but she was sure that Sirius looked worried.

Remus chuckled again and went to stand behind Sirius, though he wondered what she meant by that comment. After all, he didn't have a girlfriend anymore, so he should be exempt. She hadn't sounded amused.

The music started. It was a catchy, fast tune that Mur knew Sirius would have loved if it hadn't been for the words.

_I want a new duck  
One that won't try to bite  
One that won't chew a hole in my socks  
One that won't quack all night_

_I want a new duck  
One with big webbed feet  
One that helps me to wash my hair  
And keeps our room real, real neat_

_One that won't raid the ice box, One that'll stay in shape  
One that's never gonna try to migrate or escape  
Though he's been known to escape._

_I want a new duck  
A Black one, I think  
One that won't make a mess of my house  
Or build a nest in the bathroom sink_

_I want a new duck  
One that won't steal my beer  
One that won't stick his bill in my mail  
One that knows the duck stops here_

_One that won't drive me crazy, waddling all around  
One who'll teach me how to swim and help me not to drown  
And show me how to get down  
How to get down, baby_

_Get it?_

_I want a new duck  
Not a swan or a goose  
Just a bird I can dress real cute  
with a real, real cute caboose._

_I want a new duck  
Not a quail or an owl  
One that won't molt too much  
One that won't smell too fowl_

_One that won't beg for breadcrumbs, Hangin' around all day  
He'd better mind his manners, Better do just what I say  
Or he's gonna be duck patte, duck patte, yah, yah_

After the first line of the song, Severus and Remus were laughing so hard they nearly drowned her out, but she continued. They'd had to choose a song sung by a man to make it low enough for her to pull off. But she'd sung along enough at the dance clubs she frequented in America that her voice was smooth and controlled. All in all, she was happy with how it turned out.

Albus Dumbledore, sitting in the front row in the hopes that Minerva was also going to participate, had guffawed so loudly at the "down" joke that the Transfiguration professor had, herself, come out onto the stage and silenced him. Draco, Harry, and Ron were still laughing when the music ended, trying to imagine Sirius doing "just what" anyone said. When had he ever?

Muriel, flushed and very pleased with herself, pulled out her wand and waved it in the direction of the spotlight, which turned abruptly on Sirius, who was beet red, but quite obviously fighting back a smile. Remus still had a restraining hand on his shoulder, however. Severus, at the very next table, had his head down, his shoulders shaking violently. In the sudden light that flooded the area, everyone could see that he was more amused than even Muriel. All his one-time students were disconcerted at the sight.

Mur winked at Sirius, who just shook his head and gave in to his grin. Then she put the spotlight back on herself as her friends stopped clapping. "This next song will be slow again. Some of you might not know our vocalist, as she's not a member of the Order. She has a very nice voice, however, and I think that at least the Weasleys will know who she's singing to." Here Muriel smiled sweetly. "And that's over half the audience, anyway, so I guess it all works out for the best." Everyone laughed except George, who was pretty sure he knew what was coming.

Mur disappeared backstage and Jamila appeared a moment later. She didn't introduce herself, as the music had already begun. Like Ava, she was dressed to the nines. Alastor Moody clapped and whistled until Arthur Weasley put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

_If it were love I would give that love every second I had  
And I do  
Did I know where he'd lead me to?  
Did I plan  
Doing all of this for the love of a man?_

_Well I let it happen anyhow  
And what I'm feeling now  
Has no easy explanation  
Reason plays no part  
Heaven help my heart_

_I love him too much  
What if he saw my whole existence  
Turning around a word, a smile, a touch?_

_One of these days, and it won't be long,  
he'll know more about me  
Than he should  
All my dreams will be understood  
No surprise  
Nothingleft to learn from the look in my eyes_

_Don't you know that time is not my friend  
I'll fight it to the end  
Hoping to keep that best of moments  
When the passions start  
Heaven help my heart_

_The day that I find  
Suddenly I've run out of secrets  
Suddenly I'm not always on his mind._

_Maybe it's best to love a stranger  
Well that's what I've done -- heaven help my heart  
Heaven help my heart_

It was such a sad song, but beautifully done. Percy, sitting off to the right with Charlie and Bill, could be seen wiping tears away as all three of them clapped tumultuously. They were glad to think that someone could care that much for one of the rambunctious twins who'd driven them nuts when they all had to share the Burrow. George grinned quietly to himself from the back wall where Remus had been standing earlier. It wasn't an indication that she'd decided, but it wasn't a rejection either. He'd ask her again tonight.

Jamila smiled half-heartedly at the applause before heading backstage. She hadn't spoken a word. A moment later Hermione appeared.

"Well, we didn't realize Jamila was nervous about talking on stage until it was time for her to do it, so I get to do the next introduction. But I DO have a song to sing." Ron's groan was audible throughout the room, but to everyone's surprise, Hermione only laughed. "When he has to hear me in the shower, he's earned the right to express his displeasure. Lucky for him I'm only kidding. I don't have a song because even Theda had to admit when she heard me that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to make you sit through it. All I have is an announcement. I stopped by St. Mungo's today and found out why we can't seem to get the gender identification charm to work. It's because we're having twins – a boy and a girl!"

Ron jumped up from the table before she'd even finished speaking and vaulted up onto the stage. He lifted Hermione and swung her around. The microphone clattered loudly to the ground as Hermione squealed, but no one heard it through the fresh round of applause, and whistles from the Weasley twins. Ron kissed his wife heartily, taking a cue from Sirius and Mur's wedding.

Finally Manasa came out on stage and everything went abruptly silent. Intimidated, Ron put his wife back on her feet and picked up the microphone for Manasa, who inclined her head in thanks. Ron helped Hermione down from the stage and she took a seat beside him.

Before she'd come onto the stage, Manasa had cast a vision enhancement charm on herself, and she smirked wickedly at Severus, whose eyes were wide. He looked a bit like a cornered animal. "Surely you didn't think Muriel was going to let me get out of this," she said dryly. She could clearly see him gulp. "But if YOU want to try and make your exit before I embarrass you, now would be the time. If she tries to hex you, I'll hold her off." No one laughed at that joke except Severus. No one thought a duel between Muriel and Manasa was a particularly funny prospect.

Mur stuck her head out from behind the curtain as Severus made to stand. "Don't let her fool you – she just doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of you!" she exclaimed, laughing.

A moment later a brick wall appeared where Muriel's face had been, and Sirius was pushing Severus back into his seat. "It can't be any worse than the duck song," he whispered. This earned him nothing more than a familiar glare as Severus leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms defiantly. Muriel had apparently started the music from backstage, and Manasa was not the sort to back out once she'd begun.

_I hate the world today  
You're so good to me  
I know but I can't change  
Tried to tell you  
But you look at me like maybe  
I'm an angel underneath  
Innocent and sweet  
Yesterday I cried  
Must have been relieved to see  
The softer side  
I can understand how you'd be so confused  
I don't envy you  
I'm a little bit of everything  
All rolled into one_

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover  
I'm a child, I'm a mother  
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint  
I do not feel ashamed  
I'm your hell, I'm your dream  
I'm nothing in between  
You know you wouldn't want it any other way_

_So take me as I am  
This may mean  
You'll have to be a stronger man  
Rest assured that  
When I start to make you nervous  
And I'm going to extremes  
Tomorrow I will change  
And today won't mean a thing_

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover  
I'm a child, I'm a mother  
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint  
I do not feel ashamed  
I'm your hell, I'm your dream  
I'm nothing in between  
You know you wouldn't want it any other way_

_Just when you think, you got me figured out  
The season's already changing  
I think it's cool, you do what you do  
And don't try to save me_

_I'm a bitch, I'm a lover  
I'm a child, I'm a mother  
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint  
I do not feel ashamed  
I'm your hell, I'm your dream  
I'm nothing in between  
You know you wouldn't want it any other way_

_I'm a bitch, I'm a tease  
I'm a goddess on my knees  
When you hurt, when you suffer  
I'm your angel undercover  
I've been numb, I'm revived  
Can't say I'm not alive  
You know I wouldn't want it any other way_

As it turned out, Manasa had a fairly raspy voice and it sounded a lot like the actual artist, though only a few of the girls backstage would know it. None of the men of the Order were from muggle families except Harry, who'd begun ignoring the muggle world as soon as he possibly could.

"Severus, you are in all kinds of trouble," Sirius quipped over the applause. He was impressed that the forbidding man hadn't bolted, and more than a little surprised that there was no annoyance on his face. Manasa's vision enhancement had worn off, but she'd seen enough. He was pleased. She had, after all, chosen correctly. She'd have to remember to thank Muriel for suggesting the song.

The two women had found that they understood each other very well, and in the two months since they'd met they had formed a close friendship. At first, this had made Severus very uncomfortable. Muriel had more blackmail material on him than any human being, living or dead. He'd relaxed a little when he finally ascertained that she wasn't spilling the beans.

Then he'd discovered that it was Manasa he had to worry about. She'd been telling Muriel nearly everything he'd ever done as a death eater. He'd been furious, until she pointed out (loudly) that Muriel wasn't likely to start judging him at this point in their lives.

Only three days previous, he, Mur, and Sirius had gone out to buy an engagement ring. If anyone had told him twenty years ago that Sirius Black would help him with the most important decision of his life, he would have had them committed. ButSirius had been the one to find the ring, a deep-set square emerald, in an antique store. There was beautiful jewelry in the vault at Snape manor, but somehow he couldn't think of anything from that collection that would be appropriate. He pulled out the ring box and turned it over in his hands. Remus, from the table behind Sirius, fished a chunk of ice out of his drink and threw at him, then grinned knowingly as Severus thrust the box back into his pocket.

As the men contemplated Severus' newest form of courage, Manasa removed the brick wall that had been her backdrop. An instant later, Tonks appeared onstage, looking slightly put out. Manasa tried to hand her the microphone, but she refused it.

Everyone in the room sat up straighter. Was something wrong? It was Bill Weasley who figured it out. "Finite Incantem," he said, raising his wand.

"Thanks, Bill. It was my turn next, but the person I wanted to – I mean," Tonksglanced involuntarilytoward the recently vacated chair Bill was standing next to, causing him to look there also. He hadn't even seen Charlie leaving. "Well, they pushed me out here before they realized I didn't have anyone to sing to," she finished lamely. Sirius stood up as Tonks vaulted from the stage and took off out into the castle proper. Manasa, standing behind her on stage, turned abruptly and thrust the curtain aside. They heard the microphone being gently set down.

There were a few minutes of silence, during which Sirius sat back down, an angry look on his face as he stared at the empty stage. That was his little cousin that'd just run out of here crying! Then, suddenly, the men were startled by the sound of several shouted hexes. An instant later, Charlie Weasley came running out from backstage. His robes had been enchanted to say "STUPID GIT" on both the front and back. They had also been changed from his usual green to a rather vivid version of pink. He was bald, and a target had been charmed onto the back of his head. In the center it said, "I deserved that."

He, too, vaulted from the stage and dodged through the tables, several spells hitting the floor behind his feet. They wrinkled their noses as he passed them. He smelled awful. Muriel was right behind him. "You'd better FIND her, Charlie Weasley, you ungrateful MISCREANT!" She'd changed back into her usual robes, and Sirius grinned up at her as she parked herself on the edge of the stage, dangling her feet. He wouldn't have expected any less.

Mur summoned the microphone. "Well, that didn't go so well. It was a cute song, too. It would have been loads less embarrassing if he'd just let her sing it!" She kicked her feet, looking rather like an out of place baby doll, sitting all alone on the stage, with the spotlight falling behind her.

"We have several people who've chosen for one reason or another not to participate. I've been debating the safety of insulting the legendary Gryffindor courage, but when I tell you who is back there digging in her heels, you can make your own assumptions." She paused dramatically. Backstage no fewer than 3 Gryffindors held their breath.

"The illustrious Professor McGonagal will NOT come out on stage because the outfit Manasa helped her choose is – "

"MISS DEESIA, THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH," Minerva cut her off angrily, though she didn't appear. All her former students laughed heartily. The professor was so upset that she'd entirely forgotten that Mur was no longer a student, and, for that matter, no longer a Deesia.

"Let's say it's not to her liking." Mur grinned impishly at the disappointed expression on the headmaster's face, then continued quickly in a confidential whisper, still speaking into the microphone. "But she says YOU can see it later!" She jumped down off the stage and hid behind Sirius as a furious Minerva McGonagal thrust aside the curtain and stormed into the center of the stage. She was so angry that she didn't realize she'd been tricked until Mur charmed the spotlight to follow her.

"Oh BUGGER!" she exclaimed, trying to avoid it. Sirius took the microphone and levitated it over to the stage as the men started clapping heartily. This time when Alastor whistled, no one stopped him.

Minerva's sequined dress was, of course, Gryffindor red, and far slinkier than she would have chosen. Manasa had picked it to go along with the song, a classic from "Showboat," one of the few muggle plays herparents had taken her towhen she was a very small child. It was modest enough in the front, but the BACK neckline was low enough to show the dimples above her buttocks. If she hadn't been trying to move out of the spotlight, they would never have seen that until after her song.

Severus Snape got up from his table and walked calmly over to the Headmaster. He whacked him on the back so hard that the sound echoed, and Albus made a choking sound before taking a deep breath. "Don't forget to breathe, you barmy old codger," he whispered, smirking maniacally. The entire room snorted and chuckled, trying not to laugh outright as the music began.

Minerva was finally still, resigned to the charm that was causing the spotlight to track her.

_Only make believe I love you,  
Only make believe that you love me.  
Others find peace of mind in pretending,  
Couldn't you?  
Couldn't I?  
Couldn't we?  
Make believe our lips are blending  
In a phantom kiss, or two, or three.  
Might as well make believe I love you,  
For to tell the truth I do_

_Your pardon I pray  
'Twas too much to say  
The words that betray my heart._

_Ionly pretend  
It should not offend  
Thisplaying a lover's part._

_The game of just supposing  
Is the sweetest game I know.  
Our dreams are more romantic  
Than the world we see._

_And if the things we dream about  
Don't happen to be so,  
That's just an unimportant technicality._

_Though the cold and brutal fact is  
I've been playing hard to get,  
You need not mind convention's P's and Q's  
If we put our thoughts in practice  
We can banish all regret  
Imagining most anything we choose._

_Only make believe I love you,  
Only make believe that you love me.  
Others find peace of mind in pretending,  
Couldn't you?  
Couldn't I?  
Couldn't we?  
Make believe our lips are blending  
In a phantom kiss, or two, or three.  
Might as well make believe I love you,  
For to tell the truth I do_

There was a huge round of applause for this song. Unlike the others, Minerva stood and waited silently after the applause died away, her expectant gaze fixed on Dumbledore. She'd had to change a few words to make the song fit, but not many. Finally she lifted the microphone back to her lips. "Aren't you going to say anything, you daft old coot?" she demanded.

At this, the entire Weasley clan began laughing hysterically. Fred and George were literally rolling on the floor. Dumbledore shook his head, still dumbstruck, and pulled out the empty chair beside him. The twins exchanged a glance. 'A phantom kiss, eh? That could be arranged.' The thought went through both their minds at once, as was usually the case. They didn't need to discuss it.

"I can't exactly vault off the stage, Albus," she said, in a voice that would have been better used in private. The Headmaster stood abruptly and went to the stage, placing his hands around her waist to lift her down. It was all he could do to make it look easy, but he pulled it off, earning more raised eyebrows than he cared to think about.

Dumbledore held the chair for her as she sat, tossing the microphone back up to Theda, who'd stepped out onto the stage while everyone was watching the professors. She grinned, then raised it to her mouth. Remus bit his lip.

She didn't get to speak, however, as everyone's attention turned back to Dumbledore, who'd just had his ears boxed. "NOT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!" Minerva shrieked, standing abruptly. The Headmaster looked bewildered, and so did everyone else. Everyone, that is, except Fred and George, who were sniggering wickedly, having found their way to the back of the room again.

Molly Weasley would recognize the sound of their laughter anywhere. It meant trouble. She was beside Theda on the stage in a heartbeat. "What have you two done now?" she demanded, squinting towards them. The laughing stopped abruptly. A door opened and closed and Molly let her shoulders sag. She just didn't have the energy to chase them down.

Minerva, slightly mollified to find that Albus had NOT, in fact, kissed her in front of all her colleagues, performed a "finite incantem," on her enchanted chair and sat back down, apologizing quietly. She tried hard not to grin like a schoolgirl when she felt Albus pat her knee reassuringly, then let his hand rest there as though she might not notice.

Theda lifted the microphone again, shaking her head. "Jamila, the twins took off, can you go get them, please. Or just get Fred, at least." She turned back to the audience as Jamila, dressed normally again, jumped down from the edge of the stage and headed out the door. Behind her Draco and Ava, hand in hand, made their way over to sit with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Well, Muriel would never forgive me if I didn't point out that yet another reluctant Gryffindor has been conveniently forced onto the stage." Theda had taken Molly's arm before speaking, which was good, because she'd pulled away the minute she realized that she'd been caught out. She had not practiced as much as the other girls, since she had been spending all her free moments with the Egyptian orphans, trying to teach them all to read English before the next school year. She looked helplessly toward her husband as the microphone was thrust into her hand.

Before the music could start, he walkedto the stage and jumped up on it. She sighed in relief. He was bailing her out.

"I hardly think that after all these years I need to hear a song to remind me. I can't see a head of red hair without knowing we're in love," he said to her quietly. Everyone clapped wholeheartedly as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley made their way back off the stage to sit down again, leaving the microphone behind. Harry, Remus, Bill, Percy and Fred (who'd been dragged back in by Jamila and George) clapped the loudest. No one had yet sung to them, and frankly, they were glad. Fleur was out of town, so Bill didn't have to worry. Harry hadn't dated anyone since Cho, who'd left England for good right after her seventh year. Penelope, protesting that she couldn't sing at all, had stayed at the Burrow to keep an eye on Jamila's girls, Janus, and their own little girl, so Percy felt confident that no one would be singing to him. Fred and Remus, however, were both worried.

After an awkward pause, Ginny rushed out onto the stage. "Sorry. We weren't expecting that. I don't suppose I could get away with it too?" Manasa and Muriel appeared on either side of the curtain behind her, both with their wands drawn. "Right," Ginny said, gulping, and turning back to the men of the Order of the Phoenix, all of whom were gaping at her. No one had really expected Ginny to sing, after all, none of the boys she'd dated from school had ended up joining the Order. She waited, but the music didn't start. Muriel disappeared and a muffled sob was heard backstage. An instant later, she reappeared and rushed over to the edge of the stage. "Jamila, Theda needs your help with something." Mur followed Jamila backstage again, but not before casting an angry glance at Remus that was enough to make everyone present wince. He got up to leave and found himself face to face with both Sirius and Severus.

"Sit down, Moony," Sirius whispered. Eyes wide, he did so, and they followed suit. Ginny had already begun to sing.

_Am I dreamin' or stupid?  
I think I musta been hit by Cupid.  
But no one needs to know right now._

_I know a tall, dark and handsome man.  
And I've been busy makin' big plans.  
But no one needs to know right now._

_I got my heart set, my feet wet  
And he don't even know it yet  
But no one needs to know right now._

_I'll tell him someday, some way, somehow  
But I'm gonna keep it a secret for now._

_I want bells to ring, a choir to sing  
The white dress, the guests, the whole darn thing  
But no one needs to know right now._

_I'll tell him someday some way somehow  
But I'm gonna keep it a secret for now_

_We'll have a little girl a little boy  
A little dog that we'll call Leroy  
But no one needs to know right now._

_And I'm not lonely anymore at night  
And he don't know only he can make it right._

_And I'm not lonely anymore at night  
And he don't know only - only he can make it right._

_I'm not dreamin' or stupid,  
But boy have I been hit by Cupid.  
But no one needs to know right now._

_No one needs to know right now._

Ginny grinned cutely when the song ended. She'd been more confident than anyone, knowing that the identity of her crush was still relatively safe. No one would suspect that she still thought of Harry that way after all the boys she'd dated. She even took a slight bow as her brothers exchanged worried glances and the rest of her friends clapped. When she'd turned to go off the stage she was startled to see Theda awaiting the microphone instead of Angelina. But the older woman smiled and took it from her, looking over the heads of everyone present.

"Angelina asked me to make her apologies. She has a mysterious case of laryngitis which will probably disappear the first time Fred tries to kiss her." A few people laughed. The lighthearted joke would have been funnier if it hadn't been for the odd, glazed look in Theda's eyes.

"We've had a great time singing for you tonight. But men tend to get sick of sappiness, which is about all we've had except for Mur, who refused to embarrass her husband by being mushy in public." She smiled wryly. "Not because she has an aversion to embarrassing him, obviously. I can't blame her, really. I'm not in the mood for anything sappy tonight, either." She stopped speaking and nodded her head. The music began.

Instantly they could see that she was a performer. Alone among their women, she'd sung on stage before. Remus wasn't watching her, but his eyes snapped up when the music started. He'd been expecting the dulcet tones of the song he'd heard her singing before the confrontation at Hogwarts two months ago. This song was harsher by far. He lowered his head to the table and let the tears fall as the words washed over him.

_No more carefree laughter.  
Silence ever after.  
Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes.  
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye._

_Knowing me, knowing you,  
There is nothing we can do.  
Knowing me, knowing you,  
We just have to face it, this time we're through.  
Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go._

_Knowing me, knowing you  
It's the best I can do._

_Memories, good days, bad days;_

_They'll be with me always.  
In these old familiar rooms children could play,  
But there's only emptiness, nothing to say._

_Knowing me, knowing you.  
There is nothing we can do.  
Knowing me, knowing you,  
We just have to face it, this time we're through.  
Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go._

_Knowing me, knowing you  
It's the best I can do._

_Knowing me, knowing you  
There is nothing we can do.  
Knowing me, knowing you  
We just have to face it, this time we're through.  
Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go._

_Knowing me, knowing you  
It's the best I can do._

The tone of the song was more apologetic than angry, and Remus had mastered himself by the time she finished. He vaguely registered a heavy hand on each of his shoulders, not really caring who they belonged to. He was beyond humiliation, since most of the Order had been there for the argument that had spurred this. He wondered arrogantly if she'd coordinated this whole thing just to punish him before he caught himself and realized that he sounded just like James. He snorted to himself, and Sirius, who he now realized was on his left, mistook it for a sob and put his arm all the way around his shoulders. Everyone else clapped politely, but Theda had already left the stage.

When the girls all came back on stage together, Muriel holding the microphone, Theda wasn't with them. "Thanks, everyone. Now it's time for the last order of business for the evening. Damage control."

The applause stopped abruptly as she stepped out in front of the others. "Did Charlie and Tonks come back?" she asked. Getting no answer, she turned toward the rest of the Weasley boys. "Bill, go find your brother. Black, check on Tonks." Sirius winked at Severus, who always smirked when she addressed her husband by his surname.

She waited until they'd left. "George, take Jamila back to Headquarters as fast as you can and see if she can stall Theda. Steal her shoes, she won't leave without them." Mur's brisk words pulled Remus out of his stupor. George and Jamila were already receiving a port key from Dumbledore. An instant later they were gone.

"Well," Dumbledore said quickly, trying to head off the questions he knew Remus was about to start asking, "I think it's time most of us said goodnight, then." Molly and Arthur ushered everyone out with many "goodnights," and "good jobs" exchanged. In the end only Severus, Manasa, Remus and Mur remained. Remus was staring hard at Muriel, who jumped down off the stage and pressed the microphone hard into his chest.

"You forgot, Moony," she said angrily. Without any further explanation she headed for the door.

"Mur?"

She didn't pause or turn around. "I warned you not to give her up. You forgot." Then the door slammed behind her. The Room of Requirement shifted around the remaining occupants. The stage disappeared to be replaced by a bar. A very well stocked bar. Severus was already pouring Remus a drink by the time he pulled his eyes away from the closed door.

Manasa watched in silence as Remus downed two shots of firewhisky and lifted the third to his lips. Severus was apparently in charge of keeping Remus from doing anything too stupid for the night. She knew better than to think Muriel hadn't planned for this. But Severus wasn't the type of person who should be giving anyone advise on women. She grinned and blasted the shot glass out of Remus' hand with her wand.

"Are you an idiot?" she asked haughtily. Remus and Severus both blinked at her, not sure who she was referring to. "Severus, do you have a port key back to Headquarters or not?" She strongly suspected he did. Sure enough, he produced one and set it on the bar.

"He doesn't need us here to decided what to do with that," she said pointedly. Severus was inclined to agree, but he'd promised Mur that he wouldn't leave Remus alone if this happened. He turned toward her, prepared to argue, but she gestured back to the bar and he turned again to see that Remus was already gone.

The room shifted again as he put his arm around her and led her back to his quarters. Janus was spending the night at the Burrow, and someone might as well have a nice evening. They passed Draco and Ava snogging in the hallway. For once Severus ignored it. They weren't students anymore, after all.

Harry was walking across the grounds with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The girls were giggling about the songs, and the rather convenient disappearance of Fred and Angelina. The boys were wondering how Remus was doing. At least, for a little while, until Ron abruptly changed the subject.

"You know, Harry, Hermione and I always wondered why you haven't been dating anyone lately. I mean, really, you haven't had a girlfriend since Cho!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, you know, the whole 'not knowing how long I'll survive' thing was a bit of a deterrent. Not exactly fair to start going out with someone when I knew I might die any day." His voice was nonchalant, but everyone stopped in their tracks to look at him. It was Ginny who spoke.

"THAT'S why you never asked anyone out?" She was proud of herself for sounding only interested and not relieved. Ron and Hermione exchanged a slight smile and started walking again, letting them fall behind and talk it out. Ron had always suspected that Ginny still harbored a secret crush on Harry. He thought suddenly of her song and laughed. It had been the perfect song, really, if you knew who she was singing it for.

Hermione poked him in the ribs and grinned before starting a whispered conversation about what to name the babies. They needed to pick out two names, now!

Theda had already packed, so when she port keyed directly into her room at Sirius and Muriel's house, she just sat on the bed for a moment, trying to collect herself. She'd made it through the damned song without crying. Ava owed her 5 galleons and Mur owed her 20, so that was something. She smiled wryly. As she'd expected, Jamila appeared in her doorway.

"I'm glad I didn't bet against you."

"Yes, well, Mur and Ava don't seem to understand that I can be strong without being the world's most powerful witch." She smiled at her friend. She, Jamila, Hermione and Ava had all been raised as muggles, and as such they got along very well. While Muriel had been cultivating a new friendship with Manasa, Theda had drifted toward those she understood a little better, even though they were all a good bit younger than she was.

"That wasn't strength at all," Jamila said. "If you ask me, it was cowardice in its purest form." She came into the room as Theda jumped up and turned her back to check and be sure the drawers were empty.

"I don't know what you mean," she responded coldly.

"You aren't going to tell him?"

Theda slammed a drawer closed. "NO."

"He deserves to know."

"He deserves a lot of things he doesn't want," Theda answered, forcing her teeth to unclench as she spoke.

Jamila cast a look over her shoulder. George and Remus were standing in the doorway, both with puzzled expressions. She shook her head as Theda continued angrily.

"If he doesn't want a girlfriend he wouldn't exactly be pleased with a child, now would he?" Theda demanded, opening and slamming another empty drawer.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jamila said quickly, trying to cover Remus' strangled noise of surprise.

"What?"

"Are you really not aware that he's standing behind us?"

Theda spun on the spot with a look of horror in her eyes. Remus had already recovered. He spoke softly. "She's got a point. Surely you knew exactly what would happen if you sang that song tonight. You must have known I would be here."

"Not yet. You're about 5 minutes early," Theda admitted stiffly. "Manasa must have sent you. I can't always predict correctly for her. That's alright. It saves me the trouble of keeping up the small talk I suppose.

They heard the front door open and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione entered the house and started trooping up the stairs. At the same moment they heard the sound of several loud pops from the vicinity of the kitchen. Mur and Sirius were home, too.

"Where are you going," Jamila asked, breaking the silence. George had come into the room and was now sitting firmly on Theda's trunk.

"I still have family in the states. If they don't think I've murdered my husband, I'll stay with them." Having checked all the drawers, she turned to George. "Move,"

"What's the magic word?" he said, grinning up at her. Jamila rolled her eyes. Trust George to think everything was a joke.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Theda responded, lifting him into the air and depositing him sideways on the floor. She bent to pick up her trunk.

"Probably shouldn't lift that," Jamila commented dryly. She and George were both looking expectantly at Remus, who appeared determined to remain silent.

Theda straightened up, looking defeated. She had yet to meet his gaze and Jamila wondered if she was waiting for him to say something. Then George spoke up again. "What'd you two fight about anyway?" he asked. Jamila smiled. George must have been thinking the same thing she was. Surely this would make Remus talk. But it didn't. Theda answered instead.

"I was trying to comfort Ava by pointing out that her difficulties with an arrogant rich boy who was afraid she didn't love him were nothing compared to trying to win the heart of werewolf with an inferiority complex."

Jamila winced at the angry expression that appeared on Remus' face, but George only laughed, which darkened his one-time professor's eyes even further. "Exactly how is that funny?" he growled, forgetting that he hadn't wanted to comment.

George stifled his laughter. "I was just remembering when Harry told us all that you weren't going to teach anymore. How you were just sure that no one would want you there." Any mirth that had been in his voice drainedaway as he finally picked himself up off the floor and held out a hand to Jamila. "You were wrong you know," he said quietly as he led her past Remus and out into the hall. "You were a great professor. Pity you gave up the best job in the world because you weren't willing to risk it."

When they were gone, Remus pulled the door closed behind him forcefully. For a long moment, no one spoke.

"Don't go," he said, not looking at her. In answer, she levitated her trunk onto the bed and opened it to put the few items she'd just found inside. Tired of being ignored, he crossed the room and took her elbow to turn her toward him.

She shook him off angrily. "You think I'd actually CONSIDER raising this child here? You're more of an idiot than I'd thought. YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF LOVING ANYONE FOR MORE THAN 28 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, REMUS! THIS BABY DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT! BETTER THAT SHE HAVE NO FATHER AT ALL!"

With that, she defiantly lifted her trunk off the bed and threw open the door to her room to find Sirius, George, Harry and Ron all standing outside with extendable ears. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!" They scattered. But before she managed to heave the trunk into the hallway she heard Remus whisper behind her.

"It's a girl?" Her trunk thudded to the floor. In the span of time it took her to turn around, the hallway had cleared.

"Yes," she answered wearily. Remus sat down heavily on the bed, but didn't look at her. She cast a glance down at her trunk and sighed. "I think I'll just buy new things when I get there," she said quietly. She didn't really want to hurt the baby by lifting something that heavy. Then she disapparated. A moment later Sirius came into the room.

"If she stuck to the plan, she's in the kitchen with Mur," he said quietly to the still form of his friend.

"You were in on this?"

"Mur just told me what she knew a few minutes ago, she didn't know about the baby."

"Have you cast an anti-apparation charm on the kitchen?"

"Am I your best mate?"

"I'll be down, give me a minute." Remus sat a moment longer with his head in his hands, then stood up. Sirius had gone. He went down to the kitchen to find Theda sipping tea with Muriel, talking about nothing.

"The wolf isn't capable of love." He said, talking over their conversation. The women fell silent. Mur watched Theda close her eyes.

She spoke without opening them. "What about the bastard who appears the day the wolf goes away?"

In spite of himself, Remus smiled. "What are your terms, Theda? You've written this whole, complicated story, manipulated every aspect of the evening to your advantage. Why don't you just throw it out the window for once and tell me what you want and I'll tell you if I have it to give?"

Theda opened her eyes to find that Mur was gone and Remus had taken her place in front of her at the table. "It's ridiculously simple, really. I just want you to be happy."

Remus shook his head. "Would you settle for me being willing to make YOU happy?"

"No."

"Will you settle for "I'll try?"

"No."

Remus brought his fist down onto the table in frustration. "Will you take into consideration that I'll be much LESS happy if you go?" he demanded angrily.

"Yes, if that's really the truth."

He sighed in exasperation and fixed his eyes on the table.

"Remus, weren't you happier when you didn't have to worry about hurting anyone but yourself?"

"No," he said quietly, after a long silence. "No, I really wasn't. I love you."

"You have 29 days to prove it."

"What?" his head snapped up in surprise.

"Manage not to be a complete prat for an entire cycle of the moon, and I'll stay." Theda smiled at him tentatively.

"The full moon's only two weeks away."

"Then in 15 days you'd better not be asking me to break up."

Remus nodded, then swallowed hard. "You were right, you know. I do have an inferiority complex. It's hard to imagine that you could want – "

"You don't have to imagine it, you blind fool. It's right here in front of your face." Theda quickly put her teacup in the sink and came back to the table, sitting down beside him this time. She carefully put her palm to his cheek and led his lips to hers. He kissed her back hungrily. It felt like it had been forever.

He pulled away first. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Her eyes, shining so brightly a moment before, seemed to dim. "No, Remus. If I hadn't in the first place, none of this would have hurt so badly. I – I need a reason to trust you again."

* * *

**14 days later...**

Muriel shook her head as Theda went upstairs. They'd sat together until the moon rose, then they'd washed their teacups. She'd tried for the past two weeks to talk her out of this. Remus was going to be furious, but Theda wasn't hearing any of her arguments.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Theda took out her wand and unlocked the door to Remus' room. As she'd expected, Padfoot and Moony were having what looked like an all-out war. The wardrobe had been knocked over, which wasn't surprising, since the two over-sized canines were practically bouncing off the walls in their exuberance.

Their activity ceased abruptly, however, as the door inched open, and by the time she was in view they were both staring at her. They exchanged a look, which would have been hilarious if they'd actually been animals. As it was, this confirmed Theda's theory that Remus' mind was fully intact. She smiled.

The large black dog sat down worriedly and looked between Moony and the woman. This wasn't good. Sure enough, Moony's ears went back and he barred his teeth, though he didn't growl. The woman's smile didn't falter.

"Severus says I'm his most gifted potions student since Hermione and Draco competed for top of their class," she said conversationally, as though she was sitting at the breakfast table with them downstairs. "You can't fool me, Remus, there was nothing wrong with that wolfsbane potion."

The black dog's ears drooped as his friend's head fell. He wasn't barring his teeth anymore, and his tail, which had been all poofy and straight in the air a moment before, was now down between his legs. Theda noted this as well. Sirius reassumed his human form and took his leave silently.

When he'd closed the door behind him, Theda stood for a moment, looking thoughtfully at the huge wolf in front of her. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Then she walked to the nightstand and carefully set down the glass of water and bottle of aspirin she'd brought with her. When she turned back to him, she found that he was regarding her calmly, until their eyes met, then he looked back at the floor.

She knelt in front of him, surprised to find herself looking up to address him. "You're beautiful, Remus," she whispered. She reached out a tentative hand and rested it on his shoulder blade. Only then did the wolf meet her eyes.

Theda was awoken at the moment the moon set by a pathetic whimpering, which progressed into stifled cries of pain. She'd slept with her arm curled around the huge wolf, but withdrew it now as he once again became a man. When he fell silent, she reached out a hand to his shoulder again. He was covered in goose bumps.

She sat up and retrieved the medicine she'd brought, knowing that the aches he felt could be soothed. At the sound of ice in the glass, Remus turned and accepted the pills silently. She'd left them for him before, but never brought them herself. He swallowed the water audibly. "Why did you come? Didn't I make it clear years ago that I never wanted you to see me like that?"

"Like what?"

There was silence, during which she helped him pull the covers back and climb under. He moved like an old man with arthritis, but she knew it would wear off. It was usually only a day before he was as good as new again. "I never wanted you to see me as a monster," he whispered, gazing fixedly at the ceiling.

"All I saw was a beautiful wolf with your eyes," she replied, scooting closer and putting a hand on his chest. Too tired to respond, Remus let his eyes fall closed, enjoying the thought that he wasn't alone. He was relieved that she hadn't run screaming from the room. Somehow he'd always thought that's what would happen.

Theda put her leg over his and sighed. This was what he'd needed, the final acceptance he'd craved. Her last conscious thought was whether they'd ever be able to agree on a name for the baby.

Downstairs, Sirius and Muriel sat comfortably together by the fire, rehashing the festivities that had caused this whole mess. They laughed a little at Hermione's blunt assertion that she couldn't sing, which Mur assured him was absolutely true. Sirius confided Harry's secret desire to ask Ginny Weasley to go out with him and they laughed again, thinking of Ginny's song.

"So Moony's going to be a dad," Sirius commented, his voice still light.

"Looks that way." Mur grinned behind her teacup, already knowing where this was headed. "I hope they don't try to move out, though," she added.

"They won't. After all, I left the place to him when I died, and I don't think I ever got it back." Again, quiet laughter filled the room, and Sirius tightened his arm around her shoulders. He was about to start a very awkward question when she turned toward him, her eyes shining.

"Wouldn't it be nice if our first child could be in the same year at Hogwarts as theirs?" she asked, snuggling a little closer.

"You read my mind," he growled, taking the cup from her hand and setting it down carefully beside his.

"I always do," she whispered, grinning as she took his hand to lead him upstairs.

**FIN**

* * *

**"Crazy" by Patsy Cline ****(Ava)**

**"I Want A New Duck" by Weird Al Yankovic music by Huey Lewis and the News ****(Mur)**

**"Heaven Help My Heart" by Bjorn and Benny (ABBA) and Tim Rice (from Chess) ****(Jamila)**

**"Bitch" by M. Brooks, S. Peiken ****(Manasa)**

**"Make Believe" by Oscar Hammerstein II (from Showboat) ****(Minerva)**

**"No One Needs To Know" by Avril Lavigne ****(Ginny)**

**"Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA ****(Theda)**

Do you know, I am generally not an emotional person (ask Macbeaner, she'll tell you, or JenM). But I hate to see the Muriel series end. I probably would have been alright, if you had not all been so sweet about it. JenM commented on the phone to me one night that Mur and I have a lot in common. I'm still wondering whether or not that is a compliment, but I suppose it is true in some ways. I would like to think I'm not as spoiled, that I don't HAVE to be right all the time, that I wouldn't kill anyone, no matter how angry I was, and that I would never fall in love with more than one man at a time. However, I have never been in those situations, so I can't say. I do know that I don't take a lot of crap, I hate to cry in front of anyone, and I make friends with men more easily than women. Those things I suppose we have in common. Alright, and I'm spoiled. I admit it.

And speaking of spoiled, it's all your fault. YES – YOU, who have been reviewing and telling me what a good job I've done. (Well, most of the time.) I honestly never expected such a great response, but once I got it, I most certainly BEGAN to expect it. And you didn't disappoint. And so without further ado, let me send you all my thanks:

Reviewers for Finding The Lost:

**Purple Banana -**You've been a faithful reviewer recently - I don't know whether you went back and read all that led up to where we are now, but I appreciate hearing your comments. I'm guessing you're a Gred and Forge fan. I hope that you found your way to "Heaven Help My Heart."

**Tarawen -** I am so glad to haveyou with me, here at the end of all things. I know that was a lot of words to wade through, but you kept reading. You even went back when you discovered "STO" and read everything else. I've been very blessed to have your comments and suggestions.

**Hydra-Star –** "…I love it, and if anyone doesn't, then I fear that I must pronounce them crazy." (for "Banished") Flattering child you shall know me… You've been so sweet through all this mess. Even when I was exceedingly unclear about Venus and the voting, you stuck with me. Thanks for your reviews, and for the e-mail conversation we kept up there for a while.

**June W –** What a joy you've been. I'm afraid I'm guilty of teasing you a great deal on almost every topic we've discussed. I think that you must have found me on Ashwinder first, and even though you're a Sev/Herm fan, you still came to check out my OC, and I really appreciate that. It's also fun to chat with you on LJ. I hope you are sufficiently pleased with Severus' ending. He now has Remus and Sirius for friends (even if he won't admit it) in addition to Mur, as well as a fiancé and son. Surely you are pleased with me now?

**Cinnamon –** Yes, I'll still write. And the dog reference was to Venus. That just wasn't a very popular series. (I really thought everyone would like the voting, but I got ahead of myself and didn't explain sufficiently, and so no one understood what I meant. I felt pretty dense over that one.) I intend to post most of (not the epilogue) "A Likely Story" on this site. I'll start that one next weekend or so. You'll recognize a few aspects: Lupso will belong to Severus, and have an entirely different character as a result, things like that. I have really appreciated all your encouragement. I always look forward to your reviews – you're obviously well read, and it makes me feel special that you would stick with me so long when that's the case. There are only a gazillion other options for your reading time. Thanks for sparing some of it for me.

**Lovergirl –** I do believe you're the most recent of all the reviewers for this story. And probably the youngest. I hope you had the sense to skip what you should have skipped, though I'm told I should have been more diligent about warnings. Please realize that writing and real life are very different things, and don't go out and emulate anything I've written. It'll make me feel bad. That said, I appreciate your enthusiasm. I do have another story to post here, but it is not set in the Marauders era. I feel that I've already written the definitive work on the subject (I am so arrogant sometimes. I guess I have that in common with Mur too._KIDDING!_), so I just can't make myself come up with anything else. I'm having more luck with post canon. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lirael -** Bless you my friend. You'vebeen with me a long time. You were reviewing "Sorting Things Out" before I'd even sorted out the rest of the stories! Which means that the extended wait while I did so didn't run you off. And you are one of the few I've never been able to e-mail, because you don't log in! I've tried to find you, too, because you often say something I feel the need to respond to, but then I can't! Thank you for all your generous reviews.

**Daisie -** I think we ran into each other back before I was begging people to read my work every time I reviewed.(I've since given that up, I promise.)And yet you still came and checked out my stories. I didn't even have to grovel. You've been an invaluable resource. Once in a while you have a cool idea that I can't use, since my stories are complete when I post them. But then I can find ways to fit the idea in years later, when you might not have intended for it to fit. I've really enjoyed reading your reviews. I will always remember you as the first to figure out that, "SIRIUS LIKES HER!"

**Copper Heart –** I get the feeling you've missed a good bit, and yet you are still complimentary. I surely appreciate your encouragement and kind words. Thank you for all your reviews, and e-mails.

**Macbeaner -** What can I say? I've gotcha! You're hooked. And all because I begged you to read my stuff. On the other hand, it got us back in contact, and that's cool. Thanks for reading, even if it did turn into a new hobby.

**EsScaper -** We don't always agree on where the story is headed, but that's cool. I need a dissenting opinion once in a while, or I'll get complacent (and arrogant, though perhaps it's too late?). It's alsonecessary to be called on the carpet to explain things - it keeps me honest. If I can't explain my characters' motivations, what good am I, really? So I appreciate your comments on my weak-ass Sirius, (Who I maintain is the strongest character I write.) even though I can't agree with them.

**JenM -** Ha! I got you, too. And not only with these (relatively) clean fics, but I've got you stuck in Ashwinder, where angels fear to tread. You're a good friend to have read all that, especially coming late to it as you have. Thanks!

**Darkangelgep –** I've gotten reviews from you always when I least expect them, and this story is no exception. I'm glad you've stopped by from time to time. Your kind words are always appreciated.

**Duj –** You began reviewing so recently that I haven't even had an excuse to e-mail you yet! (Possibly you have been lurking and I wasn't aware?) But I'm glad to have you here. I hope you'll take a look at the previous stories (I know, there's a bunch of them – but at least Mixing Things Up and Sorting Things Out), since this one doesn't make much sense without them!

**BabyXtreme –** I surely appreciate your dedication. You are one of the few, the proud…the people who've waded through all these many stories. I really liked your OC, Aurora, as well, and though I don't have as much time to read as I used to (see June W on that, since it's her demanding more stories that's done it), I still love to find another strong female OC once in a while. I hope you'll keep up your fic, and I'll drop in from time to time and check it out. I love coming back to two or three chapters instead of just one anyway.

**Strayct****–** To you I owe the entirety of "0 What Went Before," as it was your complaint that I hadn't explained Muriel well enough in my first story that caused me to write it. You've really been around since the very beginning of the Marauder era fics, and I've appreciated your compliments as well as your criticisms. Thanks so much for all the time you've invested in my stories.

**Samhaincat –** Since stumbling across Solstice, I have always sought and treasured your opinion on my work. It was such a great story. I need to get caught up with the sequel! I know I was just a newby when I reviewed your story (and probably begged you shamelessly to read mine), and I really appreciate you putting up with me and reading my fics in spite of it all. And you stuck with me, too, which I take as a compliment. Thanks very much for your time these last two years. 

Previous to this story, there are/were several reviewers who were also particularly faithful and kind in their reviews. Most notably Weatherwax, who is still working his way through Venus, and is not here yet. Richard, you are one of the fewwhom I've met onlinethat I've corresponded with enough toconsider us friends, and I thank you for that. I've always been flattered by your attention to my fics, and propensity for reviewing each and every chapter, even if it's mostly filler. You've pointed out my typos so I could fix them, as well as the leaps in logic that should have been better explained, and you've encouraged me when no one else was reviewing. You've introduced me to discworld, where I've logged many happy hours since, and Livejournal, at which I've also logged many hours, though I consider that "character building time." Thanks for it all.

* * *

Oh, how I wish I could go back through each and every fic and thank the people who reviewed, but we're looking at upwards of a thousand reviews at that point, and I just can't. If you didn't get mentioned, please e-mail me or review anyway, and I'll try to write to you and say hello (and thanks) on the personal level that you deserve. It's unfortunate that I can't - but I have a long story in the works right now that I have to get back to. Thanks, again, to everyone, and I hope to hear from you when A Likely Story starts posting here (within the next few weeks).

-Brandy

aka Daintress


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